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Export Licence Applications
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the average times taken by other EU countries to process export licence applications to (a) Iran and (b) other countries. [70061]
Dr. Howells:
The time taken by other member states to process export licence applications is a matter for them. The Government are committed to providing an efficient service to all applicants for export licences, irrespective of the destination.
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Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the (a) average time taken and (b) target time in which to determine export licence applications for (1) Iran and (2) other countries in the last year for which figures are available. [70064]
Dr. Howells:
Licences to export arms and other goods controlled for strategic reasons are issued by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, acting through the DTI's Export Control Organisation. All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by DTI to other Government Departments with an interest, as determined by them in line with their policy responsibilities. These include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development.
While the average length of time taken to process export licence applications is not recorded, performance is measured against two aims:
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what goods UK firms require an export licence for exports to Iran. [70066]
Dr. Howells:
The export controls administered by my Department are set out in The Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, as amended, The Dual-Use and Related Goods (Export Control) Regulations 1996, as amended and Council Regulation (EC) 3381-94 and related Council Decision 94/942/CFSP, as amended.
All the goods covered by these controls require a licence for export to Iran except aircraft simulators and related software and technology, where the control is limited to Libya (see entries 9A993, 9D993 and 9E993 in Schedule 2 to the 1996 Regulations).
The Government's current policy with respect to Iran was set out in the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. King) on 28 January 1998, Official Report, columns 273-74.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licence inquiry forms his Department has received in each of the last three years for (a) Iran and (b) other countries. [70062]
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Dr. Howells:
The entry in the relevant legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating. Exporters' written rating inquiries do not always specify the intended destination nor is this necessary as advice is given with respect to all relevant destinations and controls. The total numbers of such inquiries received in each of the last three years and the numbers that specified Iran as the only destination are as follows:
to provide a substantive response to an application for a standard individual export licence (SIEL) within 20 working days of receipt for applications circulated to other Government Departments according to their policy requirements; and,
for non-circulated cases, to provide such a response within 10 working days.
In each case, full documentation in support of the application must be provided by the applicant at the outset for these targets to apply. The performance measures also apply to written rating inquiries, but they do not apply to applications for Open Individual Export Licences (due to wide variations between goods and country coverage of such licences). The performance measures apply to all SIEL applications, irrespective of the destination, other than those concerning Iran or exports which are subject to control solely because of United Nations Sanctions.
| Year | Iran | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 216 | 1,712 |
| 1997 | 278 | 2,292 |
| 1998 | 311 | 2,427 |
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Secondment of Officials
Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list (a) the names of officials in his Department who are currently on secondment from private companies, (b) the companies by which they are employed and (c) their current responsibilities. [70044]
Dr. Howells: There are at present 135 individuals on secondment from private companies into the DTI. This figure includes Headquarters and Agencies Interchange but not Government Office Interchange as responsibility has been delegated.
Details of precise responsibilities are not held centrally but the following list shows the Directorates within which the secondees work.
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